


Small Things To Fix Big Problems

by mermay



Category: Original Work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-18
Updated: 2018-07-18
Packaged: 2019-06-09 09:42:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15264723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mermay/pseuds/mermay





	Small Things To Fix Big Problems

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Standford Condition](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Standford+Condition).



It had been so long since the family had hosted an actual dinner get-together that Ric started to question whether there _would_ be one held again. It wasn't like the event was rare- or, it wasn't supposed to be, anyway. The whole family took delight in the entire ordeal. Preparations, making the apartment as presentable as possible, and simply just sitting down and eating with loved ones made the experience worthwhile. The allure of some normalcy was an upside. For Ric, it was a particularly exciting time. She enjoyed cooking as it was one of her most honed skills. This was the rare time Ric could show it off. 

It wasn't an easy feat to convince (read: pester) Louise to begin planning for the next occassion with how it had been recently. Combined with Louise's exhaustion from work and the unexplained grumpy sadness, she had become an irritable force to be reckoned with.  _Nothing I can't handle,_ Ric thought to herself as she prepared to confront her mother. Taking a deep breathe to stabilize herself, Ric pushed Louise's bedroom door open. 

"Joey, I told you I don't want to tal- oh! Rica... come in, possum. Do you need something?" Louise was laid out in a blanket cacoon on her bed. The  blinds were drawn, causing the room to be dark and gloomy. Uh oh. Even if Louise hadn't just provided an indication of a reason for her bad moods, Ric would have automatically known that something was wrong. 

"I just wanted to talk, mum, but..." Ric stepped further into the room. Regardless of her original objective, family came first. She could tell Louise needed some kind of help. Ric couldn't let her mother continue to be stuck in one of these ruts or she'd have a difficult time getting out. It had happened before. But Ric didn't want to think of her father. She was just glad to be old enough to understand. 

"Is there something going on between you and Joey? You never stay in bed this long," Ric said in a low voice, carefully sitting on the edge of the messy bed. "In fact, now that I think about it, you've spent most of your time in your room. Even on your days off." 

"Rica... everything is fine. I'm just... tired from work. You know how they work me." Louise replied with a sigh, rolling over in bed and burrowing further in her blanket fortress. This was one thing Ric could absolutely not stand about her mother. Always pretending that everything was okay and ignoring everything that goes wrong. It was one of the things that devided them and easily caused arguments. Already, Ric felt irritation rising in her. But she had to push further before she blew her fuse. Ric would give Louise a little more time to come to her senses. 

"Mum, you've been working that stupid job for way too long for that to be a reasonable excuse. You only recently started acting this way. And I'm not going to ignore that slip about Joey." Though Ric was trying to hold herself back, the irritation was evident in her voice. Louise didn't reply. Her figure became smaller under the covers as she huddled into herself. At that, Ric felt a sudden gust of sympathy. Louise had been through plenty of shit and Ric had witnessed plenty of it. Sometimes, her mother seemed as fragile as a fawn. Even then, they needed a push further. That's what Louise needed. 

Then a sudden idea struck her. This was the perfect opportunity to slip in the get together! Ric could cook and feed her family and friends and Louise could get up and back into the swings of things. Slowly, Ric peeled back a blanket so that part of Louise's hair and an ear was revealed.

"You can't stay in bed like this forever, Mum. You need to get up and be strong. For ourselves and the people around us," Ric said, her voice shifting to one of more authority. "we should gather everyone here and eat together. Even Joey. Move forward instead of sinking like this." Ric felt she finished off strongly. Strongly enough she expected more of a response compared to the grunt she got.  _Alright, niceties are over._ Ric jolted off of the bed hard enough that Louise groaned. 

"Get up. Get up, Mum." Louise shifted slightly. That was the end of it. In a flurry, Ric forced the blinds open so hard they cracked against the windows. Louise sat up in surprise before Rica had time to rip the blankets off the bed. Fortunately, as Louise had a sudden anger and life in her eyes she had been lacking previously.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Louise shouted, throwing her blankets off. Already, she was ready for confrontation. One look at Ric and Louise stopped in her tracks. 

Ric hated crying. She hated crying more than anything, especially infront of someone else. She prided in her strength and any vulerability made her feel weak and small. Therefore, Ric always made sure to have a mask of carelessness, and what many would call a resting bitch face. But here she was- tears cascading down her cheeks in a rush. 

"It hurts to see you like this. Cause I don't know how long it'll stick. How long until I get my mother back." 

"Rica-"  Ric shook her head and interrupted her mother, continuing on strongly despite her shaky voice.

"Mum, we're in this together. Everything else, even everyone else, are just variables. Sometimes they stay, sometimes they don't. We can make it with or without them." Ric finished and wiped her tears away roughly. An entirely different expression settled on Louise's face. A mix of love and determiniation.

"Okay. You're right. I- we'll get everything figured out. I promise."

~

Together, Rica and Louise had managed to fix up the place- including the bedroom- with time to spare. They had dusted, swept, mopped, and organized from top to bottom. After that, Louise went out to the store to buy missing ingredients while Ric began cooking what was already stocked at home. All that was left was inviting the guests. Considering the large size of past events, this one was looking to be small, only including family and Ric's close friends in the Gang. There was only one individual Ric refrained from contacting herself. Joey. That was Louise's choice. 

Ric stirred a pot of mixed vegetables as she browsed through her contacts. No matter the amount of complications between all three of them, Ric still couldn't decipher how she felt. Once Joey's contact scrolled into view, she felt a strange feeling squeeze her heart. If only everything could be as simple as one definite answer or another. Some sort of stability. Ric felt like most things in her life were complicated, never falling right into place.

"Just gotta deal with what you're dealt." Ric whispered to herself as she switched the oven on to pre-heat.

It didn't take long for the Gang to arrive. Being in mostly less fortunate situations compared to Ric, being well fed was a rare opportunity. The first to arrive was Rusty.

"I'll get that." Louise had just finished restocking the kitchen when the doorbell rang. Once hearing his voice, Rica was relieved her mother had offered to invite the first guest in. 

"Hello! Nice to see you, Ms. Fielding. Ric is in the kitchen, right?" Ric cringed to herself, quickly busying herself with taste testing the noodles as they slowly softened in the pot of boiling water. She was happy to have avoided the potential alone time with Rusty. It was an awkward relationship Ric found herself stuck in with him. While Rusty had been nearly grossly infatuated with Ric, she thought his best quality was the connection he gave her to the Army. It wasn't that Ric thought bad of him- really, she didn't think much of him at all. The worst part was knowing what the physical contact was to Rusty.

As the two came into the kitchen, Ric tried to give a small wave to Rusty while he tried to go in with a hug. Ric's raised arm ended up being an obstacle, luckily- but quickly turned awkward. Rusty stepped back and rubbed the back of his neck, his cheeks blushing. Louise giggled to herself as she got into a cabinet containing tableware. He hurried to find something to talk about to end the uncomfortable silence.

"Ric- uh, you look- the food smells delicious!" He spoke quietly and with an anxious air around him. Ric couldn't help but feel bad. The boy obviously couldn't figure why he couldn't go right with his supposed girlfriend.

"Thanks! That's how it is when I'm cooking," Ric spoke in a voice that was plenty chirpier than how she normally spoke and equally as fake. She felt obligated to throw him a bone, so to speak. Rusty smiled, and Ric moved on. "The others should be here soon, the food should be done too." While Rusty looked disappointed to have the conversation shift to their friends so quickly, he didn't have much time to linger on it. Louise called him over to assist her in setting up the dining table.

Before long, most everyone had filed in, in the order of Felix, Kamir shortly after, and lastly Nikki. Greeting her friends and watching them excitedly pile up their plates made Ric's mood skyrocket. The compliments were a plus, too. But mostly, Ric was happy to provide them something they needed. As a general rule, Ric waited until everyone else got their plates and were settled before getting her own. This time, she hestitatingly hovered near the counter, not sure what was holding her back. As she looked around, she realized one person was missing, and that was Joey. The Gang never mentioned his absence, as most of the time they stayed entirely out of any family business- but Felix noticed her just standing around.

"Hey, Ric, c'mon and eat! Hell, you deserve it, too, it tastes amazing." Heads nodded in agreement, except Louise. Ric and her mother exchanged knowing glances, and Ric exhaled.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll join you guys in a sec." Ric got her plate out, but took her time on loading her plate. She kicked herself mentally. Why was she even waiting? She had meant it when she had said they could go on without Joe, so she shouldn't be hung up on it. Ric pushed it all away and finished prepping her plate. 

Two sturn knocks on the door resonated through the room, effectively quieting everyone. By then, no one else was expected. Even Louise looked startled as she got up.

"Go ahead and sit, Rica. I'll be right back." Her hands were shaking ever so slightly as she walked out of the room.

Ric sat down in one of the two empty seats, inbetween Felix and Rusty. She felt relieved that no one was currently swarming her about the awkward behavior, even though curious glances were thrown around. Felix and Kamir resumed their conversation while Nicole slid her input inbetween bites. Rusty tried to tap Ric from under the table, but she shook her head and made sure her hands were unreachable. Even if she tried, she couldn't concentrate on her friends. All she wanted to know was what was happening at the door, not caring whether it was a make-up or break-up. Ric just wanted to be able to feel stable and not in this weird gray area.

Her questions were soon answered, although it felt like a lifetime. Louise walked back into the kitchen, a strange glimmer in her eyes. Ric tried to make eye contact and have some sort of indication to what occured, but Louise was in her own world. 

"Mum, was that-"

"Hello, everyone. Sorry to be late to the party. Got a little held up at the metro station. It looks like you cooked up something good, Rica." 

The evening continued on like any other group dinner. Ric was aware that her mother and Joey were on shaky grounds. This wasn't saying they were going to stay together. But with the smiles the two were exchanging, Ric could finally relax. For now, things were settled.


End file.
